Westar Energy have turned to technology to find an answer to passing the knowledge and experience from veteran staff members and pass it down to new starters. By leveraging augmented reality (AR) technology, the company is able to develop a variety of mobile platforms to deliver training digitally to staff members.
Responsible for over 700,000 customers, Westar Energy is the largest electric utility company in Kansas and has partnered with Index AR Solutions to launch the new LineAssist SuperApp. The company provide bespoke AR applications and proprietary software to meet a customers needs and in the case of Westar Energy, the company have changed the way linemen are trained in the classroom and do work out in the field.
As reported by T&DWorld, by using a mobile device, members of staff are able to access detailed step-by-step directions through the AR display to help them complete jobs. The display also provides utility structures workers with access to service calls, safety warnings, 3D animations and written instructions which are all built into the app and provided as needed. This provides the lineman with useful information and visualization to allow them to perform unfamiliar tasks.
The application is still in the early stage of roll out but Westar Energy are expecting to quickly see the benefits from the introduction of the app in the coming months. The goal is to see a reduced number of large scale call outs needed which can disrupt the supply of power to the companies customers by using the application to help smaller teams or solo-workers perform regular, more cost effective maintenance and avoid those large scale operations.
Westar Energy plans to bring the team back together after the initial roll out to see if the application was of a benefit. The company are also not against reviewing other applications to see if there is better a solution but for now, they are continuing to work with Index AR Solutions to improve business efficiency with the LineAssist SuperApp.
VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the latest on Westar Energy’s AR ventures in the future, so stay tuned for more.